The House of the Spirits

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-book review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. A static character is one who sees little or no change over the course of the story. Which of the following characters is the best example of a static character?

A) Esteban Trueba

B) Esteban García

C) Pedro Tercero García

D) Blanca de Satigny (née Trueba)

2. Which event most reflects Esteban’s regret over facilitating the military coup?

A) Esteban amasses a secret stash of weapons.

B) Esteban is insulted that he is not invited to form the new government.

C) Esteban refuses to believe the account of Jaime’s death.

D) Esteban helps Blanca and Pedro Tercero escape to Canada.

3. Which statement best describes Clara’s relationship with Alba?

A) Clara does not know of Alba’s existence.

B) Clara resents Alba for driving a wedge between Clara and her daughter.

C) Clara is one of the most important influences in Alba’s life.

D) Clara is estranged from her granddaughter.

4. Which word best describes Esteban’s feelings when he discovers Blanca’s affair with Pedro Tercero?

A) Enraged

B) Ecstatic

C) Despondent

D) Apathetic

5. Which statement best summarizes the irony surrounding Nana’s death?

A) Nana is physically unharmed in the massive earthquake, whereas everyone else in the family sustains injuries.

B) Nana dies alone in the city while the rest of the family survives the earthquake at Tres Marías.

C) Nana spends many years trying to frighten Clara out of muteness only to ultimately die of fright herself.

D) Nana’s death leaves Clara feeling particularly sad and alone.

6. Which of the following best summarizes what the Poet’s funeral comes to symbolize?

A) The pain of defeat

B) The power of poetry

C) The might of the military

D) The burial of freedom

7. Which literary technique does Pedro Tercero employ when writing revolutionary music based on the story of the fox and the hens?

A) Allegory

B) Hyperbole

C) Irony

D) Enjambment

8. How does Pedro Tercero and Blanca’s first interaction foreshadow their eventual romantic relationship?

A) The two are of the same age.

B) The two go missing and a search party is sent out after them.

C) The two are found sleeping in the exact position they will be discovered in years later.

D) The two share a love for music and stories.

9. What do all of the del Valle women have in common?

A) They all meet untimely deaths.

B) They all share a strong bond through a tradition of storytelling.

C) They all espouse strong political beliefs.

D) They all inherit clairvoyant abilities.

10. What leads Blanca to confide in Esteban that she has been hiding Pedro Tercero in the house?

A) Esteban finally realizes that Jaime is truly dead.

B) Esteban admits to her that he was wrong to aid the military coup.

C) Esteban is shocked that the new government has seized his car.

D) Esteban feels that the new regime is going too far by spreading stories about the President.

11. Which scenario best represents how Luisa Mora’s prediction (that Esteban will be on the winning side but will suffer pain and loneliness) comes true?

A) The military coup is successful, but Esteban loses Jaime, Blanca, and briefly even Alba.

B) The military coup is successful, but Esteban is not invited to form the new government.

C) Esteban regains control of Tres Marías, but none of his old tenants want to continue working for him.

D=) The Socialist government is toppled, but Esteban loses a great deal of personal wealth.

12. What can be inferred about Clara based on her decision to revert back to her maiden name after Esteban strikes her?

A) She is a weak, indecisive woman who seeks her family’s support when she is unable to get along with her husband.

B) She is a detached, unfeeling woman who bears no love towards her husband anymore.

C) She is a bitter, resentful woman who wants to punish her husband for hurting her.

D) She is a strong, independent woman who will not tolerate disrespect and abuse from her husband.

13. Which statement best describes the role Tres Marías plays in the story?

A) The hacienda parallels Esteban’s character arc within the story.

B) The hacienda represents the power of the Conservative Party.

C) The hacienda symbolizes Esteban’s drive to succeed.

D) The hacienda foreshadows the eventual success of the leftists.

14. Which of the following best describes Esteban’s feelings upon Clara’s death?

A) Sad but stoic

B) Overwhelmed with grief

C) Relieved and at peace

D) Happy and accepting

15. Which is the correct order of events?

A) Alba’s birth, military coup, Luisa Mora’s prediction

B) Luisa Mora’s prediction, Alba’s birth, military coup

C) Alba’s birth, Luisa Mora’s prediction, military coup

D) Military coup, Luisa Mora’s prediction, Alba’s birth

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. Over the course of the book, Esteban’s ill temper leads to him losing a number of close relationships. What relationships become irrevocably damaged, and how does Esteban contribute to this happening?

2. Silence is a recurring motif in the book, and women often employ it as a way to preserve energy or assert power and agency. Explain how they do so, using any two instances from the story.